New Delhi, March 29 -- A framework agreement on defence cooperation, marking the first refresh in ties in this sector since the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)intervention in the 1980s, and measures to support Sri Lanka's economic recovery will be among the centrepieces of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the island nation next week.

Modi's visit, a follow-up to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's trip to New Delhi last December, will be an opportunity for New Delhi to bolster relations in crucial areas ranging from defence and security to energy and infrastructure, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity on Friday.

Modi will be the first foreign leader to be hosted by Dissanayake.

The two si...